Adeptus Astartes
Fanart: Original Drawing: Adam Smith, Colored By: MajesticChicken (DeviantArt) Summary The Space Marines or Adeptus Astartes are foremost amongst the defenders of humanity, the greatest of the Emperor of Mankind's warriors. They are barely human at all, but superhuman; having been made superior in all respects to a normal man by a harsh regime of genetic modification, psycho-conditioning and rigorous training. Space Marines are untouched by plague or any natural disease and can suffer wounds that would kill a lesser being several times over, and live to fight again. Clad in ancient Power Armour and wielding the most potent weapons known to Man, the Space Marines are terrifying foes and their devotion to the Emperor and the Imperium of Man is unyielding. They are the God-Emperor's Angels of Death, and they know no fear. The Astartes are physically stronger, far more resilient and often mentally far removed from the lot of most normal human beings. In the presence of the Astartes, most people feel a combination of awe and fear, and many cultures on the more primitive worlds simply worship them outright as demigods or angels of the God-Emperor made flesh. They should feel so, for many Space Marines feel little compassion for those they have sometimes termed "mortals" in comparison to themselves, seeing the very people they were created to protect as little more than obstacles to a more efficient eradication of the Imperium's enemies. This is an attitude sometimes taken by whole Chapters. They see normal humans as frail, weak creatures given to the follies of temptation, avarice, greed, lust and cowardice -- all emotions they rarely feel, if ever. Yet there are some Astartes who remember why they were created by the Emperor, who avoid the trap of hubris which the Space Marines are so prone to and which has seduced so many of their number to serve the Ruinous Powers of Chaos. They are the final guardians of Mankind, the saviours of last resort. They were intended not to lead humanity, but to defend it, sometimes even from itself. At the heart of that mission lies the limitless compassion the Emperor extended to every man and woman in the galaxy when he willingly chose to condemn himself to more than 10,000 years of imprisonment within a dying prison of flesh for their sake. Some Astartes sneer at compassion, seeing it as one more human weakness that has been purged from their superior bodies and minds. But the wisest of the Space Marines know that in the end compassion is their only salvation, as it is for all men. In that, they have proven themselves to be fully human. Potential Space Marines are usually, but not always, recruited from the worlds where a Chapter has established its Fortress-Monastery, although some Chapters are known to recruit from a collection of different worlds in an area of space that they protect or frequent. Recruiting methods vary from Chapter to Chapter. Some select their Neophytes from feral tribes roaming the surface of inhospitable worlds, while others draw upon eager volunteers who have been groomed from birth to become an Astartes. Still others watch and kidnap potential warriors, turning them into Astartes whether they will it or not. Whatever the method, all Space Marine Chapters will only accept those who successfully pass the grueling initiation trials and prove themselves worthy of becoming a Space Marine. However a man becomes a Space Marine does not matter: once his body has been forged into that of a transhuman Astartes, he must forever stand apart from the people to whom he was once kin and who he is now sworn to protect. Once a man becomes a Space Marine, he is no longer mortal; his genetic heritage is now that of the Emperor Himself, and a spark of the same divine majesty flows in his veins. There are approximately 1,000 Space Marine Chapters active in the Imperium of Man at any one time. A list to most of them can be found here. This number has stayed relatively constant since the Second Founding in the 31st Millennium following the Horus Heresy when the First Founding Space Marine Legions were broken up. However, this number remains far from exact and may fluctuate widely depending on the time period and the circumstances confronting the Imperium. Powers and Stats Tier: 7-C Name: Space Marine (Adeptus Astartes), Angel of Death (common nickname) Origin: Warhammer 40,000 Gender: All Male(The process of transformation from human to Space Marine is too much for the female form) Age: 60-80 years (the youngest Tactical Marines), hundreds of years old (veterans and high-ranking members) Height: 200 to 280 centimeters (average is 262 cm or 8'6") Classification: Genetically Enhanced Warrior(They are no longer classified as humans), Warrior Monk, Elite Super Soldier of the Imperium Destructive Capacity: Building Level, up to Small Town Level with heavy weapons Range: '''Extended human melee range due to them having larger limbs, few kilometers with the Bolters, varies with their other weapons '''Speed: 50-100 km/h (depending on individual and whether he wears armor), Hypersonic+ reactions Lifting Strength: Class 25 Striking Power: Class MJ+ (can rip off the top of certain Imperial vehicles, and that says alot since all the future tech and what-not. And hurt each other with physical blows) Durability: Small Building Level+, Large Building Level+ with power armor, Small Town Level with shield and/or forcefield Stamina: Very large (a Space Marine can remain active in combat for at least 2 weeks, can live without food even longer and generally ignores non-lethal wounds) Standard Equipment: Power Armor, Auspex, Bolter & Combat Knife or Chainsword & Bolt Pistol, Grenades and other equipment Optional Equipment: Artificer Armor, Iron Halo, Jump Pack, Hand Flamer, Inferno Pistol, Plasma Pistol, Grav-Pistol, Storm Bolter, Power Sword, Gladius, Power Fist, Lightning Claw, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Combat Shield, Combi-weapons (fixed onto the Bolter), Shotgun, Flamer, Plasma Gun, Melta Gun, Grav-Gun, Sniper Rifle, Heavy Bolter, Missile Launcher, Heavy Flamer, Plasma Cannon, Multi-Melta, Lascannon Intelligence: Considerably above average. Space Marines have enhanced intelligence, great deal of implanted knowledge combined with decades to centuries of fighting experience on worst battlefields of the galaxy. They are one of the best combatants known in the verse with a single company capable of conquering an entire planet. Powers and Abilities: Super strength, speed, agility, dexterity, endurance, stamina and durability, enhanced senses, low-light vision, immortality (type 1), regeneration (low), has extra organs that can take over if one should fail, can accurately analyze any chemical he eats/tastes and break them down if required (also allows the Space Marine to literally eat anything if needed), can eat creatures/people and absorb part of their memories from their DNA/RNA, can filter out toxins and is generally immune to poisons, immunity to motion sickness, white noise, sudden flashes or sonic attacks, resistance to extreme radiation or heat, can survive in vacuum, his thoracic bones are mutated to an armor, can spit blinding and extremely corrosive acid that melt away organic and some metallic material, his skin allows to directly connect his nerves to specialized machines (his Power Armor), resistance to telepathy, soulattacks and possession Weaknesses: None notable Other: This profile describes the average/baseline Space Marine from the Warhammer 40,000 franchise. Special characters tend to have better feats and powerscaling that makes them even stronger. Category:Characters Category:Warhammer 40,000 Category:Game Characters Category:Comic Characters Category:Book Characters Category:Humans Category:Military Characters Category:Swordsmen Category:Marksmen Category:Immortals Category:Protagonists Category:Hero Characters Category:Good Characters Category:Male Characters